Dev Journal vs. Git: Project Visibility Showdown
Dev Journal vs. Git: Project Visibility Showdown
Imagine your game development project as a long and winding road.
Without a map, you’re prone to getting lost, backtracking, and forgetting crucial details. That’s where a dev journal and Git come in. They are your map and compass.
Let’s follow a day in the life of Alex, a solo indie game developer, to see how these tools work in practice.
Alex wakes up with a brilliant idea for a new enemy AI.
Instead of diving straight into code, Alex opens their dev journal. It’s a simple text file, structured by date.
Alex writes: “2024-01-26: New Enemy AI - 'The Shadow Stalker’. Agile, uses cover, flanks player.”
This simple entry captures the initial idea. Alex then sketches out some basic behavior patterns and notes potential challenges.
Without this entry, the idea might fade or morph into something less compelling over time.
Git, meanwhile, is dormant at this stage.
The Code Commences (And Conflicts Arise)
Next, Alex fires up the game engine and starts implementing the Shadow Stalker AI.
They create a new Git branch named feature/shadow-stalker-ai.
This is crucial. Working on a branch isolates the new feature, preventing it from breaking the main game.
Alex codes for a few hours, making significant progress. They commit regularly, with clear, concise messages: “feat: Implement basic Shadow Stalker movement” or “fix: Shadow Stalker now correctly uses cover.”
These commit messages are part of the project’s narrative, explaining the “why” behind each change.
Without meaningful commit messages, the Git history becomes a mess.
Late in the afternoon, Alex wants to merge the feature/shadow-stalker-ai branch into the develop branch.
Disaster strikes! A merge conflict. Another script that Alex was working on in parallel changed the same files.
This is where Git shines.
Git highlights the conflicting lines, allowing Alex to resolve the issues.
Without Git, resolving such conflicts would be a nightmare, potentially requiring hours of manual debugging.
Alex resolves the conflict, tests thoroughly, and finally merges the changes.
Documenting Design Decisions in the Dev Journal
Later, Alex encounters a design dilemma: should the Shadow Stalker teleport or use a smoke bomb to disappear?
Alex returns to the dev journal.
“2024-01-26 (Evening): Shadow Stalker movement - Teleport vs. Smoke Bomb. Teleport is faster but might feel cheap. Smoke bomb adds tactical element, but could be visually cluttered.”
Alex jots down pros and cons.
After some thought, Alex decides on the smoke bomb.
The journal captures this decision-making process.
Why is this valuable?
Weeks later, if Alex questions the choice, the rationale is readily available.
The journal becomes a searchable archive of design decisions.
Without this record, Alex might waste time re-evaluating the same options.
Tracking Progress and Reflecting on Challenges
At the end of the day, Alex reviews the dev journal.
“2024-01-26 (Review): Shadow Stalker AI - Made good progress on movement and cover usage. Smoke bomb implementation next. Challenge: Ensuring smoke bomb doesn’t obstruct player vision. Solution: Experiment with transparency and particle effects.”
This reflective entry summarizes the day’s accomplishments and identifies upcoming hurdles.
It helps maintain momentum and prevent burnout.
Many indie developers fail to regularly reflect on their progress.
This leads to feeling overwhelmed and losing sight of the bigger picture.
The dev journal offers a dedicated space for reflection.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Here are some common mistakes and how to avoid them:
Messy Git History: Commit frequently, with clear and concise messages. Use branches for new features and bug fixes. Avoid committing large, monolithic changes.
Lost Ideas: Always jot down ideas in your dev journal, no matter how small. Organize entries by date and topic for easy retrieval.
Context Switching Overload: Use your dev journal to track your current tasks and priorities. Avoid multitasking. Focus on one task at a time.
Unsearchable Dev Logs: Structure your dev journal entries consistently. Use keywords and tags to make them easily searchable.
Git and Dev Journals: A Powerful Combination
Git manages your code.
Your dev journal manages your thoughts, design decisions, and progress.
Both are essential for maintaining project visibility and preventing chaos.
Start simple. Create a text file for your dev journal. Commit regularly to Git, using branches effectively.
Review your progress daily, and reflect on challenges.
Are you ready to take your game development to the next level?
Enhance your reflective practice and ensure your design documentation is easily searchable. Explore structured journaling tools to ensure that your design documentation is not only contemporaneous but also easily searchable.